World Briefing | Europe: Italy: Storm Over New Broadcast Chief

By Jason Horowitz (NYT)

Published: March 13, 2003

Paolo Mieli, the director of Italy's leading newspaper and the newly appointed head of the state broadcaster, RAI, is facing so much opposition from right-wing critics that he may resign before getting started. Even Mr. Mieli's newspaper, Corriere della Sera, wrote yesterday about a ''post-Mieli era,'' days after he enraged conservatives by calling for the reinstatement of two RAI journalists taken off the air last June after criticizing Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Parliament leaders appointed the left-leaning executive in hopes of stemming conflict-of-interest criticism aimed at Mr. Berlusconi, who indirectly runs RAI as the head of government and privately owns its largest competitor. Mr. Mieli, who is Jewish, also faced personal attacks this week when vandals wrote ''RAI for Italians. No to Jews'' on the RAI building in Milan. Jason Horowitz (NYT)